Saturday, December 3, 2011

Museum of Original Figurines


After the Belgian Comic Strip Centre and the Marc Sleen and Herge museums, Belgium now also has the Museum of Original Figurines, or MOOF. ‘Noblesse oblige’ - in our coverage of comic strip culture, we need to pay a visit, though with not too high expectations.

On 3500 m2, the MOOF displays about 600 figurines - 3D representations of comic strip heroes. They are shown individually or in a scene. These figurines are collector’s items produced typically in a series of a few hundred units. Though none of the figurines is unique, the collection probably is the largest number of figurines on display. A very wide variety of comic strip heroes is shown.

About 45 minutes suffice to visit the MOOF. If it weren’t for displays on the history of Tintin magazine or the room dedicated to the Belgian animation industry, the visit would even be faster. In the last room, the museum presents the Raymond Leblanc Foundation, with its biannual price to stimulate young comic strip talent.

As a museum, the MOOF is a bit thin. It could be a great event venue. Unfortunately, at the time of my visit, no event was taken place, and I was almost the only visitor. Let’s hope the organizers find a good direction for their project in the years to come.